The Coffey Audio Files - Spring 2006

7/28/2019 The Coffey Audio Files - Spring 2006

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THE

COFFEY AUDIO FILES

LOST

Volume 18 | Issue 1 | 2

MIX MAGIC 24

THE SOUNDS OF

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

JAKE IN

PROGRESS

ENCORE

TELECINE

M:I-3 THE DUB STAGE

EDITORIALS

GEAR REVIEWS

CHEAT SHEETS

AUDIO GLOSSARY

2005 SOUND AWAR

WHOS ON WHAT

CONSIGNMENTS

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE


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The Coffey Audio Files | Vol.18 Issue 1 | 2006 | Page 2

COFFEY SOUND / 3325 Cahuenga Blvd West / Hollywood, CA / 90068Phone: (323) 876-7525 Fax: (323) 876-4775 Web: www.coffeysound.com

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T ST A B L E O F C O N T E N T SCoffeys Brew 3

Rental Dept 4

Sales Dept 5

State of the Audio Industry Address 7

David Yaffe - Lost in Paradise 9

Jim Corbett - Mixing Magic 12

24 - The Audio Workflow 14

On Set Audio Recording Today 18

2005 CAS & Academy Sound Awards 20

Whos On What 22

Austin Storms - Papua New Guinea 24Gear Reviews - Post Production 26

Boom & 3rd Shelf 28

// TECH ZONE //

Cheat Sheet - Sound Devices 744T 29

Cheat Sheet - Zaxcom Deva IV & V 30

Audio Glossary - From A to D 31

Jeff Wexler - On A Sound Mission 33

The Dub Stage 34

Steve Tibbo - Split-Screen Audio 36

Mike Walker - Digital Audio & Telecine 38Greg Kita - Reality World 40

Gear Reviews - Production Audio 42

Executive Editor: John Coffey Layout & Design: Steve Eagle Contributors: Robert Kennedy, Chris Silverman, Frank Scibella, Dave Fisk, JohnCoffey, Steve Eagle, Thomas Popp, David Yaffe, Todd Winnick, Jim Corbett, Bill Gocke, Todd Overton, Corey Woods, Sean Peterson, Bill Dotson, Austin Storms, Marty

Humphries, Jeff Wexler, Steve Tibbo, Mike Walker, Greg Kita

For advertising inquiries please contact Steve Eagle at [email protected].

All content Copyright Coffey Sound, 2006. Certain product images and names are Copyright their respective owners.

Coffey Sound Consignments 36


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By now, you may haveheard that I'm here to stay.I'm leaving the set mixing to

you. Most of you had to workthe sets while your kids grewup. We reversed the order byhaving ours later in life.Luckily, running CoffeySound allows me to be homeearly every day to watch mychild grow up. I am gratefulfor this opportunity, but itpresents a bit of a problem

for me. Whereas I used to bug you for mixing jobs,now I need to perform well enough at Coffey Sound todeserve your business as my sole means of support -or I have to go back to mixing to pay the bills. Its a newkind of pressure, but Ive owned Coffey Sound longenough by now to know how to finally do this right.

I will still see you plenty on the sets, though, andyour experiences will always be my training ground. Ithink its my advantage because I really do know whatyou do.all of it. I have the same battle scars as youto prove it. In fact, I still get those bad dreams at night- you know, the ones where something goes wrong onset. So I really know what you are going through and

today, our employees are taught personally by me tofeel your pressures! Today, weve got your back!

It's been a long time growing to where we arenow, but today, I can say quite frankly that our audiobusiness is second to none. It only took 18 years to beable to say that, but now Coffey Sound can dispensethe knowledge, experience and inventory to back you

up in the highly professional services you require onproduction. We have the tools necessary to interacand provide workflow solutions. We proved it through

a five year head start that we had selling non-linearecording way ahead of the competition. So throughnecessity, we don't have just one staff ProducSpecialist, we have several, in both the rentals andsales departments.

Today, we carry an enormous stock of sales inventory on site for your immediate purchasing. We alsohave an extensive rental inventory. We now have fully stocked warehouse on premises, plenty of park-ing, and an expert staff that I wouldn't trade with any-one. Our staff is trained in every aspect of your production needs, all the way through post-productionThey can assist you through your entire workflowThey have intricate knowledge of not just audio, buhow its used with Pro-Tools, Avid, the new camerasand High Definition. We know the solutions. It's noeasy for you to work and stay tuned to the constantlychanging audio landscape. You dont need to - thatsour job. We don't just sell gear, we assist you on howto use it. All this and we still answer our own phones!

I really want to thank you for your support over theyears. Every contribution to our growth along the wayno matter how little or how much, helped bring us to

today's level. We could never have gotten here with-out you. We are at the top now, but the journey alongthe way is full of fond memories. I've enjoyed gettingto know you all and want to begin enhancing our relationships for many years to come. We now walk thetalk, and today is the beginning of a new era at CoffeySound.

COFFEYS BREWA MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF COFFEY SOUND

- John Coffey, CAS


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Welcome to the Coffey Sound Rental Dept.

My history here at CoffeySound starts back in 1999,when I was hired as one of

the original non-linear harddisk recorder product spe-cialists for productionsound. In those days,things were very different,with file conversions andmedia being a tough hur-

dle to overcome. I did that work for three years here,and then made my way into rentals. As the companygrew so did my responsibilities and work load, and wehired additional product experts to help with the grow-ing need for support of non-linear recorders. I became

Rental Manager in early 2002, and have been runningthe department and promoting technology ever since.

Now, we are in our new warehouse building, andthings are going well. The building is fantastic and wellworth a trip over to check it out. We have tons of spaceand a fully stocked sales floor. It is a very exciting timefor us here, as we have added hundreds of thousandsof dollars worth of new, cutting edge gear into rentals!The full list is on our website.

Being somewhat technology-biased, my favorite toysin rentals are the new non-linear recorders like theZaxcom Deva 5, Sound Devices 744T, HHB Portadriveand Fostex 824. I cant stop talking about them. Theserecorders are the future of filmmaking. Their ease of filetransfer to any PC or Mac, as well as their high storagecapacity, high sample rate and most importantly, theiracceptance in post, make them the most powerfulrecording tools I have ever seen for production sound.Todays modern sound mixer must have knowledge ofthese types of recorders to ensure viability in the futurein this demanding marketplace. If any of you would likea non-linear recorder demo, please contact myself orany of our product specialists.

We look forward to the future here at Coffey Sound.2006 is going to be a great year for all of us, with moreexciting new products and continued growth in rentals.We will continue to strive to provide the best rentalequipment in North America, prompt and courteousservice, and knowledgeable rental technicians to helpanswer any of your production audio questions. I hopeto be working with you now and in the years to come.Welcome to the Coffey Sound Family!

Chris Silverman, Rental Manager


15% OFFyour next rental!

Just bring this coupon to the rental count-

er and it will be applied to your total. Limit1 per customer, 1 time only.

We carry the highest qualityequipment for your productions

Sound Devices 744T Lectrosonics Venue

View our full rental line sheet online at

www.coffeysound.com

Zaxcom Deva IV& V

Sennheiser MKH416

RENTAL DEPT.

Cooper CS208

Motorola CP200


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Thats right, after a five yearhiatus, Im back at CoffeySound again, but now its asthe new Sales Manager. Ihave to say I am excitedabout this opportunitybecause Ive got a greatsales force to work with whoreally know and enjoy theproducts. Coming fromLocation Sounds rentaldepartment, Ive had a long

time to figure out what my clients want and need, andhow to get it to them. In that way, sales is not that dif-ferent from rentals. Sales customers still expect thesame high levels of customer service and knowledgeof their respective applications. Theyre working prima-rily with the same gear and have the same questionsand concerns. By having experience in both areas, Imconfident that I can provide you with exceptional sup-port and friendly service.

In our Sales Department we take pride in having an

extensive, deep stocked inventory from the latest andgreatest to the industry standards. Were dealers forover 100 manufacturers, ranging from Audio Technicato Motorola to Zaxcom. All of our Sales Reps havediverse backgrounds in location recording, live musicand post production, among several other highly spe-cialized fields. The best Sales Reps dont just havegreat customer service skills, they also love the gearand interacting with you.

Feel free to email me for quotes on any of yourupcoming projects: [email protected]. I look for-ward to meeting you and thanks for choosing Coffey

Sound.Frank Scibella, Sales Manager


Meet our new SalesManager: Frank Scibella

Robert Kennedy joins

our Sales Department

ing knowledge of the products we sell. He understands what is important and has extensive experi-ence recording production audio and seeing ithrough post. If you need answers, advice or simplyservice, don't hesitate to ask for Robert or email himat [email protected].

Hot New Gear In Sales

Tascam HD-P2

Two high quality XLR inputs(24bit/192khz), timecode in, writes

broadcast wave files, and sup-ports firewire and compact flash

transfers... all for under $1,000.

M-Audio MicroTrack

The MicroTrack is an extremelysmall two-channel audio recorder,featuring 24bit resolution, USB

connectivity and phantom-pow-

ered 1/4 preamps.

Pelican M1 LED Flashlight

Pelicans new M1 features a super

bright 1 Watt Luxeon LED gener-ating 27 lumens, compact design

and heavy duty carrying pouch.Runs on 1 CR123 lithium battery.

Sales Department contact info:

E-mail: [email protected]: (323) 876-7525

SALES DEPT.


Robert Kennedy comes tous as a product specialistwith an insatiable appetitefor quality audio gear. Hisstandard concern is record-ing pleasing sound andfinding innovative solutionsto common recording situa-tions while keeping thecost palatable.

As an avid recordist,Robert has valuable work


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Fabi Allen, Administrator

Jaime Ignacio, Service Manager

Ive been with Coffey Sound for over seven years and Ive seen a lot of progresstake place here. Im happy to say our staff and inventories are growing very suc-cessfully. To meet this new growth, Ive moved from my previous role as SalesManager to give you personal service as our companys Administrator. With myexperience in sales and management, I am able to help each department whilemaking sure that everything runs smoothly for you, the customer. If you ever have

any questions or concerns with orders, company policies, or anything else, pleaseemail me at [email protected] and Ill be more than happy to assist you.

Have a broken recorder? Need to rewire your lavalier for a new transmitter? Need cus-tom cables for your sound cart? Here in Coffey Sounds Service Department our goalis to get you back up and running as soon as humanly possible. No job is too big ortoo small. Well be more than happy to take on a 32 channel mixer or a tiny micro-phone element. And dont forget, while your gear is in the Service Department, you cantake advantage of our 50% offoffer for any gear you need to rent from our Rental

Department. This is just one way of saying thanks for your business, and to keep youprotected from any downtime. For quotes on any project please email me [email protected].

At Coffey Sound, our goal is to provide you with the best

service possible as we sell, rent and repair audio gear.

Labor rate: $85/hrCables: $75/hrRush fee: $30


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IT'S OFFICIAL. Non-linear recorders are now the stan-dard for field recorders. Producers are now insistingon using them over DAT machines and analogNagras. Reality shows are taking the world by storm.

Shooting wide and tight is now the norm. What doesthis mean for the production sound mixer?

Multi-track recorders are a necessity on almostany production these days. Shows like House andLostwill have as many as 8 to 10 wireless on talent ina given scene. Even then, some dialogue is often ad-lib'ed, making it very difficult to get a solid mix track.Often times the DP will do a wide and tight shot at thesame time, making it impossible to boom. The produc-tion sound mixer must now have an arsenal of wire-less, a capable recorder, and a rock solid yet flexiblemixer. Having pre-fade, isolated tracks is a must forthe production mixer. It is important for post to be ableto go to those tracks if they have to.

Mobility is also a very important factor. Large,rack mount machines are great for telecine, andshows where you never have to move, but as soon asthat next job comes along that requires multiple loca-tions and over the shoulder work, they are rendereduseless. Often, owners of these machines end up sell-ing them and putting the money towards some sort ofportable recorder.

Reliability is key. Recording media is very

important. We've seen how recording directly to opti-cal media without a hard drive backup can bring ondisaster. And what about optical media? People areturning in DVD-RAM's, DVD-R's and CD-R's What'sthe standard? If you ask 5 sound mixers, you will get10 different answers.

Technology changes faster now than ever before.What's the standard today may not be the standardtomorrow. People are talking about blue ray DVD's ordual layer DVD's as the next great thing. Flash mediais coming on strong. There are no moving parts, mak-ing it the most reliable form of media to date. The only

reasons it's not the standard now are the capacity andcost, although the price of one gigabyte flash cardshas probably come down since you started readingthis.

It seems that every day something bigger andfaster comes out. This means that the productionsound mixer must be thinking into the future when

Whats the standard?If you ask 5 sound mixers, you

will get 10 different answers.

considering purchases. Everything needs to be asfuture proof as possible. As we all know, reliable fieldrecorders that offer you the flexibility you need, andthe quality you expect, are not cheap. The recorder is

one of the most expensive pieces of equipment on thecart so it has to have staying power. Besides beingeasy and intuitive to use, make sure it's futureproofed, as far as that is possible.

Wireless spectrum is another issue. We will be losing spectrum in the near future. Many wireless bandsthat work now may not work in the near future. Thiswill drastically affect the way production mixers workWireless manufacturers will have to change the waythey do things.

STATE OF THE AUDIO INDUSTRY ADDRESS

To make matters even more complicated, wehave file compatibility issues. What files do poswant? What can they handle? These are questionswe get asked constantly. Different post productionfacilities have different requirements. Communication

is key. Pre-production meetings are very importantBefore a foot of film (or second of tape) is shot, aworkflow should be developed, and test footageshould be shot. If this does not happen, then it isinevitable that there will be issues later on down theroad that will incur unforeseen expenses, which have seen first hand, that can get quite costly: moreso than if everyone would have taken the time in pre-production to iron everything out.

Even with all of this, the sky is not falling. Weare now in a state of flux that we have to deal withThings are more complicated, yet easier and faster a

the same time. There is always something new tolearn. Technology is allowing us to create projects inways that have never done before, allowing us to bemore creative and experimental. With the right toolsfor the right job, the production sound mixer will beable to comfortably deal with any situation that theiproduction may throw at them with total confidence

by Dave Fisk



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with a DAT), I can lay down some ambience tracks(jungle birds, ocean, etc) in case the editors want touse them later. I worked extensively with Joe Schultzour assistant editor, to work out the bugs that prevented total compatibility between the Deva and

Metacorder. Since we're recording at a sampling rateof 48.048, we had to figure out a way to fooMetacorder (which doesn't do 48.048) into believing iwas recording at 48K. No reason to bore you with thahere. If anyone's interested, let me know.

At the end of the day, I burn a DVD-R fromMetacorder and send it in with the DVD. TheMetacorder's secondary drive is my LaCie Terabyte FireWire drive, so the entire season is automatically backed up. Theres no real need, but thaway we always have it on the set in case a directorneeds to look back on it. Also, this is a show that quiteoften looks back on earlier episodes during a currenepisode.

Lostis a typically fast paced television style shootWe have to set up quickly and be prepared to movequickly from location to location, often from one parof the beach to another, jungle to jungle, etc. Aftewatching how the Camera Deparment mastered thistask, thus making us the bad guy because it alwaystook longer for us to move around (usually having topush to a stake bed, move, unload off the stake bedpush to the new set, etc), we brainstormed and came

up with a couple of new master plans.

David Yaffe is the production

sound mixer for ABCs popu-

lar series, Lost. The show

recently won Best Drama

Series at the 57th Annual

Emmy Awards here in

Hollywood, and David talks to

us about what hes doing on

location to make Lostsuch a

captivating experience.

What ever happened to Yaffe? Well, I'm back inHawaii, doing Season Two ofLost. After a few monthson the mainland doing Monkand House, I was askedto return for 10 months of fun in the sun and mud in thejungles. So I will share some of my experiences onthis show, as well as what equipment we use, tech-

niques for recording in these conditions, etc.First, let me say I was fortunate enough to grabDennis Fuller to come boom for me, although some-times he's forced to be more of radio mic tech thanboomer. I was also lucky enough to get my dear friend,Michael Gilday, to come on as my local utility guy. Hehas a real passion for sound recording. This has madehim a real blessing for Dennis and I over here becausewe need a strong third.

Our first week or two were mostly on stage. It wasa good way to get warmed up and get the bugs out.Got all the equipment fine-tuned and gave us time to

consult with the producers and directors to figure outwhat our locations would be like and how we couldbest be prepared. More on that later.

My comp mix is always on track one. This is thedailies mix as well as the master track for the editors. IISO all the rest of the mics on the other tracks. We onlytransfer track one for dailies. We have telecine make amirrored copy of my master DVD that day and have itsent to the sound editors so they can load them inimmediately and have a listen, maybe get a head start.In our case, hopefully, by the time picture comes, theyhave them loaded in, logged and ready for assembly.Those ISO tracks can really save a mix that mighthave an overlap or some clothing noise on one of theradio mics.

Along with the Deva, I use Metacorder to back upmy tracks. With the MOTU Traveler, a bus-powered 8channel I/O in my configuration, I can get 22 tracks. Sonot only can I backup ALL of my Deva tracks (try that Losts boom op, Dennis Fuller, deep in the jungle

DAVIDYAFFE: LOST IN PARADISE

(continued on next page



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The last 7 days or so, we've been very far up in thejungle. We had production give us a "Mule", a 4-wheeldrive vehicle with a bed in the back and a covered driv-er/passenger compartment. The Mule got us right upto the set via the 5-foot wide mud road and junglepaths. We took the Deva, the Lectro 4 series quadbox, Comteks, etc and made them portable. The Devahas 4 hardware faders and 4 software faders, so I wasable to mix all the mics right on the Deva with theonboard mixer.

I would have loved to take up my new Lectrosonic

SM transmitters (they're splash proof, something wereally could use with all the rain up there), but theVenue rack is ONLY in a rack mount configuration, soit wasn't practical.

I switched this year from the Sennheiser MKPlatinum lavs to the Sankens, which seem to hold upbetter physically to "actor abuse" and weather. Duringheavy rain scenes, we pull out the Lectro lavs thatcome with the transmitters and use them (they'reexpendable and, let's face it, when it's pouring rain andyou're hearing not much other than the rain hitting allthe foliage, buried by the rain hitting the actor's cloth-ing which is buried by them sloshing around in themud, why not use expendable lavs?) We use a layerof acousti-foam and a layer of acousti-fur over the lavsto protect them from water damage. Why not use aCountryman, you ask? I used them on the pilot hereand was less than impressed.

During our week's excursion on the "Mule", wetalked production into letting us build a rig like theCamera Department is using. We ordered a KawasakiQuad (a 4 wheel drive ATV) and had a local trailercompany build us an "off road" trailer with 8 huge sand

Davids sound cart, ready for anything

tires, beefy suspension, all the right mounts for thecarts, a telescoping frame so we can put our canopyup over ourselves and a 6 foot folding gate. We cannow put the sound cart and the follow cart on the trail-er and work off of it in places we could only previous-ly go via stake bed (even then, they couldn't get on thebeach, we had to put the sand wheels on the cartadding another 15 minutes of setup time) or Mule

(which required going into "documentary" mode). TheATV can get us out onto the beach and instantly moveus from point A to point B. We're negotiating our owntruck, a "cube" long enough to drive the ATV and trailer right in at the end of the day, where it will travel, carand all. All this has given us the ability to move quickly from set to set without being a burden to transpo othe shooting schedule.

Due to the nature of our locations, we end up usingradio mics for most of our outdoor shots. Here inHawaii, there's always something preventing us fromgetting pristine tracks with the boom. Rain, wind

ocean, lack of solid ground that doesn't crunch. Alsomany of our sets, jungle and beach, are right next tothe road (right, Richard?) When I do use my booms, only use Sennheiser 816's and 416's. I do have someSchoeps and BLM's for special occasions, but the 416has better reach and rejects background noise muchbetter, which is mandatory for any set other than thequietest stage. The 816 is still, in my opinion, the besmic for exterior booming. It has the longest reach andthe best rejection (isn't that why we use long shotgunsin the first place?) We put a layer of Hog's Hair ovethe Rycotes to protect them from the rain in those

Another wet day of filming


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scenes where we can use them, or just in case a quicksquall surprises us.

I've been here on and off for a year and a half now.I have to say, my Cameo (an incredible digital mixer) andDEVA have held up beautifully. They've been out in the rain,humidity, wind, sand, etc and never failed once.

Winning the Emmy for Best Drama certainly makes allthis hard work worthwhile somewhat, at least all of the hardwork everyone on the show puts in, away from home andtheir families, working in the rain and sun and humidity isappreciated. (Unfortunately, due to a clerical error by a tem-porary hire at ABC, the wrong episode was submitted forthe sound category, a very upsetting experience for myselfand the mixers.) We're now striving to be even better. We'regoing DEEPER into the jungles to go where no one hasshot before here, we're looking for more beautiful, yetremote beaches, all of which is creating a more difficult, yetmore exciting situation for us to record sound on our little

"Lost" island.


Aloha, David Yaffe


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JIM CORBETT - MIXING MAGICThe Coffey Audio Files | Vol.18 Issue 1 | 2006 | Page 12

AFTER 7 YEARS AS A RE-RECORD-ING MIXER with one of Los Angeles'

premier studios, Todd-AO (now part ofAscent Media), Jim Corbett recognized

and targeted an emerging market. Heunderstood that commercials and trail-ers were an undiscovered niche, soon to

become burgeoning gems in the indus-try. In 1982, Corbett's vision, rivaled only

by his enthusiasm and keen ear for mix-ing, caught its wave...Mix Magic wasborn.

In speaking with Jim, you become instantlyaware of his verve and optimism. Delving into detailsof his craft and industry, he is animated, exhilaratedand wrapped in expression. "At the outset, we cut ourteeth on commercials. It was steady business that gar-nered recognition and allowed the company to grow,"says Corbett. "In those years, I was fortunate enoughto mix some major commercials that included AppleMacintosh, Coke, Coors, Budweiser, Michelob,Chevrolet, Ford and Chrysler to name a few."

Corbett kept a close pulse on the movie indus-

try and when the commercial business changed local,he re-invented Mix Magic's success on a larger scale.The success proved to be big. "We nurtured relation-ships with directors and producers of independent fea-tures such as "The Eyes of Tammy Faye", "The Job","Mojave", "Angels With Angels" and "Boy Culture" whowere not necessarily able to take the same line asmajor releases."

This is not to say that Mix Magic does not pos-sess the capability to undertake larger projects whileadhering to Corbett's personal sense of integrity. Jim'svision promotes versatility and mind share, as itembraces across the board policy, principle and con-sistency. "As we mature in our expertise and scope,we strive to maintain the subjectivity that brought us tothis stage of development."

Centrally located on Highland Avenue inHollywood, California, Mix Magic is an unencumberedoasis of vibrant tropical accents. The design and dcorwere articulated by Jim's wife, Ruth, exuding a warm,comfortable sense of relaxed nonchalance frequentlyabandoned by larger, bureaucratic settings. "It is, afterall, about creativity," Ruth explains. "Why stifle the syn-

ergy between artist and environment? It's a valueadded experience for everyone involved."

Creativity is certainly an integral part of theprocess. However, once this stage of development iscommunicated and agreed upon, it is paramount to hithe target without deviating from the goal. "That doesn't mean that the sound can't be re-addressed, buonce we set our goals on a project, it's time tomethodically complete the task," Jim adds. "In Indy'sI see some convoluted work out there when peopledon't have a clear idea of what they really want to

convey. My main objective is to focus on the best wayto produce a good soundtrack on the projects weundertake."

Jim and Ruth's daughter, Sara, orchestratesthe majority of Mix Magic's business operationsWhether it is client bookings, logistics, scheduling, oany of the other important tasks requiring attentionSara conducts and oversees the vast majority of thedaily processes.

Chuck Workman and Jim Corbett

by Todd Winnick


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Sound plays such a powerful role in the totalmovie experience. Yet, it can be surprisingly difficult toidentify its many nuances. It is easy to envision a"poorly shot" picture, but when asked to describe"bad" sound, conceptualizations can vary dramatical-ly. "This is not an exacting science. Sound hasbecome an increasingly complex, yet import facet ofmovie making over the past decade," says Jim. "Withthe advent of 5.1 sound for the theatre and television,it has presented ever-increasing challenges for thepost sound mixer." These challenges can literally"break" a project when approached without a conciseunderstanding of what is necessary to convey the par-ticular effect, theme or message. "5.1 mixing is my lat-est passion. It's the real kick for me," adds Corbett.

Success proves the premise. 2005 was the

first time that the Oscars took the opportunity to pro-duce the sound for the Academy Award's openingmontage in 5.1 stereo. It was produced by ChuckWorkman and was subsequently nominated for anEmmy. And the optimism continues.

There have been plenty of projects that haveaugmented Mix Magic's proficiency and repertoire.Independent features with tight budgets and Reality

Television with quick turnaround are at the top of thalist. "When MTV came to us with 'Jackass', it reallyblew the lid off of what we had been doing," continuesJim. "Jackass was a real groundbreaker for us. Iturned my awareness to something that is actually thelatest form of documentary filmmaking, 'RealityTelevision'. I have always loved working on documentaries. Don't get me wrong, I love movies too, but documentaries pose a unique challenge and 'RealityTelevision' provides just that."

"When I started mixing, everything was on 16or 35 mag. Now with Pro-Tools, creative returns havebecome almost immediate. Playback lead times, labo-rious sound library access and query, and a myriad ootherwise burdensome tasks are now just happy memories of the past," sighs Corbet with a smile.

The business may have morphed, yet JimRuth, Sara and the team at Mix Magic never lost sighof the company's concept and focus. "With Mix Magicyou're dealing with the owners and a select group oindustry professionals," explains Jim. "At the end othe day, it's not about the technology. It's about tasteand sensitivity. It's not about the money. It's all aboumaking a project the best that we can."



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24The Audio Workflow:

From Production Through Broadcast

Now into its fifth season, 24 is one of Fox TV's most successful shows, blending fast

paced editing with intense, character-driven performances. More cinematic than

episodic, 24 has enthralled viewers with its nonstop barrage of action, suspense and

drama and its latest season is one of the most highly anticipated in all of television.

What makes 24 so successful? The answer is simple: the incredible talent and pro-

fessionalism of the actors, crew and post production staff. We at Coffey Sound are

honored to work with the 24 family, and decided it was time to shed some light on

the great sound work done on this show.

Corey Woods, Todd Overton and Bill Gocke on location for episodes 15 & 16


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THE FIRST UNIT PRODUCTION SOUND CREWfor 24 is made up of Bill Gocke (production soundmixer), Todd Overton (boom operator) and CoreyWoods (boom/3rd). Bill had several years experienceunder his belt using DAT and Nagra as his primaryrecording device. But for the fifth season of 24, Billupgraded to a Deva V, the 10-track digital hard diskrecorder from Zaxcom. Now he is handing in DVDs atthe end of the day and backing up on DAT.

Why the upgrade? Like most shows thesedays, 24 relies heavily on wireless, and post isincreasingly supportive of devices that can record mul-tiple discreet tracks as well as transfer files easily to avariety of devices and software programs. The Devaexcels in this area, with a removable hard drive and aninternal DVD-RAM drive to make recording and mov-

ing audio a breeze. To make it even more versatile,there is a firewire out connector on back.

We werent sure how Bill was going to react tothe non-linear Deva, taking into account his manyyears of linear DAT recording. But he was a fast con-vert. "I like it" he says. "It's easier to operate than theolder recorders. And it's better for post." Though thetechnology is still fairly new, there was essentially nolearning curve or downtime during the transition fromDAT to Deva. And of course, post is happier than ever.

But what about the micing? Sound recordinghas changed dramatically in the past decade, with

more scenes being shot wide and tight at the sametime. We spoke with Todd Overton about this newchallenge on set. "If two cameras are shooting at thesame angle, it would be easier to mic, he says, butthey're almost always shooting at different angles andsizes. TV is too quick today - which means there's notenough time for extra work on the set."

This is also a large problem sound profession-als are facing today. Not only is everything two cam-era, but with so much reliance on wireless, the boomop and 3rd have to spend most of their prep time get-

ting wires on actors rather than dealing with lightingissues. Subsequently, these people must be quickeron their feet, and be prepared to deal with last-secondissues that may have been avoided if there was moretime.

Despite these changes, it's not all bad news:wireless technology has become so good that throw-ing a wire on an actor is no longer producing unbear-

unbearable issues. Todd and Corey use SankenCOS-11 lavaliers in most situations and both arepleased with the audio. Matched to a Lectro 200 o400 series transmitter, the actors on 24 are able tofeed into Bill's Cooper 208 without difficulty, and theend result is great sound for post.

24 is a highly dramatic show and thus the dia-logue fluctuates anywhere from shouting to whisper-ing. "Often the vocals are more breathy than solid,"Bill says when asked about the strength of the actorsvoices. "When it's too quiet, we have to amplify on ouend, and that amplifies clothes noise which is neveeasy to deal with." But despite this common problemthe sound crew does a terrific job of disguising clothing noise and recording what really counts.

Production on 24 is fast and efficient, just likethe show itself. Everyone knows their job and does iwell. But production sound is only the first step in the

challenging process to make 24 a reality. Next comestelecine.

PRODUCTION


(Continued on next page

THE FIRST AUDIO STEP FROM THE SET IS TOsend the day's recordings to Level 3 Telecine inBurbank. Sean Peterson is the telecine colorist whoworks the graveyard shift. Sean marries the developed film to the mono mix. A Fostex DV824 is used toload the Deva's DVD RAM audio files and chase timecode. After several seasons of using DAT as the pri-

mary media, Peterson now transfers from the originaDeva DVD-RAM discs. It started out a bit rockybecause Sean was used to summing the left and righ2 tracks on a DAT, but he soon realized that the overall mix found on track one was the right one to transfer. Suffice to say, Peterson is happy all his handsyncing days are over now that he works with DevaDVD-RAM discs. The Deva has a built in pre-rolstamp, saving him at least 10% in time every nighcompared to his days of dealing with a lack of sufficient pre-roll.

Peterson's main advice to the production mixers is to take organized logs and notes that detail athe rates, settings and especially which camera isshooting. He said he was extremely pleased withGocke's notes and they make his job much easierSound mixers: take heed! With all the multiple filetypes, frame rates and sample rates out there, "it isessential to log in the right details to post."

TELECINE



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LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON THE FIXED PICTUREedit is rendered off and presented to Bill Dotson forsound editorial. Bill has worked on the show since the

first hour and still cuts much of the audio himself. Hetakes the final picture and an EDL (Edit Decision List)into a program called Titan. The standard in post-con-form software, Titan works as a plug-in forDigidesign's flagship ProTools. The result is aProTools project file which uses information abouthow the picture was cut to re-sync and to cut the orig-inal production audio tracks according to their SMTPEtimecode. This isolates the original audio so Bill canget to work on the effects, foley, ambience, dialogueand ADR. That tends to keep him busy Saturdaythrough Wednesday.

Bill Dotson uses the production sound mixer'smono mix as a primary source for the final mix. In theevent that a word is swallowed, mumbled, or back-ground noise impaired, Bill will solo the isolated lavmicrophone tracks for each actor and has had excel-lent results finding usable audio in those pre-fadertracks. Dotson expressed his serious satisfaction withthe DEVA making it onto the latest season. In fact,having used it before, he was the one who requesteda Deva be used on set.

Bill noted that the spotting session, which is

attended by the producers of the show, goes muchsmoother when he can dip into the iso tracks. He esti-mates that 20% of the dialogue is now completely re-mixed by post from stratch from the pre-fader tracksalone. Bill Dotson says that "Bill Gocke is a hell of agood production mixer" but is often up against set ele-ments out of his control. In light of this, he hasrequested that every actor wear a wireless mic that isrecorded to an independent track. That gives post theoption to fix it in pieces or often re-mix the entirescene when necessary. Production sound mixersmay not want to hear that takes place, but "the bottom

line is that the audio for the show now sounds betterand that's all that really matters."

24 is known for its high-intensity actionsequences which makes large portions of the produc-tion tracks unusable. Noise may be present on all ofthe original tracks and no alternate or wild takes withthe same dialogue may be available. ADR(Automated Dialogue Replacement) is the only solu-

POST PRODUCTION


tion for this eventuality. Bill estimated that before theshow went to multi-track recording, they had manyADR cues per hour-long episode, half of which wereprincipal lines. Bill says that his using the isolated

tracks alone have cut the ADR back by over 20%This is major, as Keifer Sutherland's been busy saving the country from terrorists the whole week andcould use a break.

AUDIO DUBBING STAGE

ONCE BILL HAS SPOTTED EVERY SOUND CUEand dialogue bit, he delivers a pre-mixed version tothe talented re-recording mixers on the dub stage atUniversal Studios. Everyone leaves Ken Kobett andMike Oldmann alone on Thursday while they star

their magic. The audio portion can end up being 160tracks wide. A typical track assignment would be 7tracks of dialogue, 8 of ADR, 8 of music and 8 of foleywith backgrounds, effects and sound design account-ing for the rest. They mix this all down to a stereo ver-sion (layed back to a Digibeta) and a 5.1 Dolby Eprint-master on a D5 (eight channels wide).

BROADCASTING THE AUDIO

ONCE THE MIXES ARE FINISHED, THEY ARE

sent to FOX for broadcast. These sometimes may gekicked back from QC if they exceed a +18 dBfs peakor if the average peak exceeds +14dBfs. On Fridayafternoon the producers and Bill Dotson show up fothe final mix. They may suggest minor changes, bueveryone is ready to sign off on it in the end. Thecycle starts again as the next episode is freshly edit-ed and in Bill's in-box later that night.

24 has a year-long schedule but broadcasts aregular twenty-four episode show run. "Being upagainst air is brutal," notes Bill. Sometimes they wirevisit a mixed show to add in some over-the-shoul

der continuity-fixing ADR after a show has alreadybeen printed. They avoid this time consuming patcheven though they have many still unaired showstempting them. After the season premiere (4 hours intwo nights!) they are still 7 episodes ahead. Thissafety margin shrinks as the season progresses, butheir well-oiled audio workflow machine allows themto stay on schedule.

24(Continued from page 15)



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THE FUTURE OF ON-SET AUDIO HAS CHANGEDdrastically in the last couple years and many morechallenges are on their way. A few factors, more thanothers, are responsible for the changes.

First and foremost is that there has been achange in what is now perceived as "good sound." Foryears, we relied on the perspective of the shot size todetermine how well you heard the dialogue. That is,you would hear it the same way you would in real life.The close-up would sound louder and richer than awide shot. Today, most producers and post supervi-sors want to hear the audio as if it were a close-up,even when the shot is wide. That brings us to thebiggest change in audio... the proliferation of wirelessmics. The widespread dependence on wireless is alsoa cause and effect of the third major change, which isshooting wide and tight shots at the same time!

Obviously, shooting multiple cameras wideand tight means that the boom can not record the tightshot anymore, without entering the frame of the wideshot. Using wireless mics is the only solution for mul-tiple cameras.

ON SET AUDIO RECORDING TODAYBY JOHN COFFEY

The fact that wireless mics are now so preva-lent as a standard means that post has its hands fulgetting good tracks because wireless mics create theiown set of problems. Instead of one clean mic on a

boom overhead, each actor must now wear an individual wireless mic. In one scene there may typically be6-8 wireless. That means that each wireless has itsown set of nastys related to clothes rustle, phasingand taking frequency hits.

So, the on-set production mixer typically pro-duces an over-all mix track while additionally turning inseparate isolated tracks to help post "save" the audioPost will use the iso tracks to replace lines when need-ed to try to keep from looping the scene. The iso tracksare typically only used in that situation, although thereare more and more reports of post completely re-mix-ing the entire scene by using the iso tracks at their dis-posal.

Within the three person sound crew, the production mixer is increasing frustrated by the extrademands placed on them. The boom operator oftenspends so much time dealing with wireless mics tha


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they dont have time to work out the lighting problemsand the third person is busier than ever before as theymust often scurry around frantically, keeping the wholemess together. All this has to be done without holding upproduction.

On a HD shoot, these problems are magnifiedas they must now deal with sync issues with the cameraand address the fact that HD scenes can run longer and

make instant changes. This happens because tape is socheap compared to film, and many directors will keeprolling take after take, non-stop, and request changes onthe fly without cutting until they get the shot they want.This trend will only get worse for the sound department.The mere length of doing consecutive takes oftenmeans that the boom operator can not rest betweentakes or hold the pole in the air long enough without col-lapsing into the shot from exhaustion.

All of these factors are now leading to the perfectaudio storm on the near horizon. This industry hasformed a habitual dependence on wireless to produce

their product, at the very same time that wireless spec-trum is shrinking. The mandate to offer High DefinitionTV, coninciding with the sale of valuable spectrum,means that wireless will soon be unable to work consis-tently on locations around the big cities. No thought hasbeen given to saving any frequency for the entertain-ment business. Its getting bad already and will soon be

almost impossible to get 6-8 wireless operating togethewithout taking massive interference. The problem forreality shows routinely using 20 and more wireless, likeBig BrotherandAmazing Race, will be even more magnified.

There will have to be new technology to stay instep with the inevitable coming changes that will negatively affect sound recording on films and TV. There wil

have to be a future that includes using miniaturerecorders that are put on each individual actor, while jamming time code to the cameras. The first such recordersare coming from Zaxcom and will be a combination wireless transmitter and individual recorder, with built-in lim-iter processing. They will record to an easily removableSD card that will constantly be recording up to 6 hours odialogue. Then if the wireless is in an area that is takinghits, the show can still go on without stopping productionIn this case, the SD cards would be removed from eachwireless and downloaded onto their own iso tracks. Themixer could spot check the recording to make sure it was

recorded, or could later re-transmit the dialogue to re-record and remix the entire scene. Manufacturers andsound mixers now must work hand in hand these days tobring solutions to every problem that seems to be arisingdaily. The interaction is at a level never seen before andwill have to continue as a new age of products come tomarket.



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Quentin Tarantino, who received the first everCAS Filmmaker Award, with Glenn Sanders,President of Zaxcom, who won a TechnicalAchievement Award for his Deva recorders.

John & Nina Coffey with Mr. and Mrs.Hammond Peek (

King Kong)


Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures:

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for TV Movies or Mini-Series:

John Coffey and Mark Ulano

Peter Kurland, winner forWalk the Line

CRASH (Marc Fishman, Adam Jenkins, Rich Ash & Richard Van Dyke)KING KONG (Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek)

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA ( Kevin OConnell, Greg P. Russel, Rick Kline, John Pritchett)

WALK THE LINE (Paul Massey, Doug Hemphill, Peter Kurland)WAR OF THE WORLDS (Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Ron Judkins)

THE END OF THE WORLD (Chris David, Adam Jenkins, Louis Marion)

EMPIRE: EPISODE 1 (Christopher Haire, Christopher Elam, Brian Simmons)

LACKAWANNA BLUES (Rick Ash, Adam Jenkins, Susumu Tokunow)SLEEPER CELL: PART #10 (Elmo Ponsdomenech, Joe Earle, Roger Pietschmann)THREE WISE GUYS (Robert Appere, Edward Carr III, Robert Seymour)

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series:

CSI: GRAVE DANGER PART 2 (Yuri Reese, Bill Smith, Mick Fowler)

DEADWOOD:A Lie Agreed Upon (R. Russel Smith, William Freesh, Geoffrey Patterson)ROME: THE SPOILS (R. Russel Smith, William Freesh, Maurizio Argentieri)

24: DAY 4 - 6:00 AM - 7:00 AM (Michael Olman, Kenneth Kobett, William Gocke)THE WEST WING: 2162 VOTES (Dan Hiland, Gary Rogers, Patrick Hanson)

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for TV Non-Fiction, Variety or Music:

ALIEN PLANET (Michael Olman, Kenneth Kobett, Dough Rutherford)AMERICAN MASTERS: SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK: RAISE YOUR VOICE (Ken Hahn, JT Takagi)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Hammersmith Odeon, London 1975 (Bob Ludwig, Bob Clearmountain, Matt Foglia)

RED FLAG: THUNDER AT NELLIS (Michael Olman, Kenneth Kobett, Robert Polhemus, Doug Rutherford)UNFORGIVEABLE BLACKNESS: THE RISE AND FALL OF JACK JOHNSON - PART 2 (Dominick Tavella, BrendaRay, John H. Osborne, Lou Verrico)

42ndAnnualC

AS

42ndAnnualC

AS

Awards

-2/25/2006

Awards

-2/25/2006

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for DVD Original ProgrammingBATMAN vs DRACULA: THE ANIMATED MOVIE (Timothy Borquez, Doug Andorka, Eric Freeman, Edwin Collins)

THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER (Mark Rozett, Kelly Vandever, Whit Norris)

FAMILY GUY PRESENTS: STEWIE GRIFFIN (Jim Fitzpatrick, Sam Black, Dan Cubert)HAVOC (Trip Brock, Kelly Vandever, Shawn Holden)

LILO & STITCH 2: STITCH HAS A GLITCH (Terry OBright, Keith Rogers, Cameron Davis)


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THE 78TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDSMarch 5th, 2006

King Kong (Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn)Memoirs of a Geisha (Wylie Stateman)War of the Worlds (Richard King)

Achievement in Sound Editing

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe(TerryPorter, Dean A. Zupancic and Tony Johnson)

King Kong (Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael

Hedges and Hammond Peek)Memoirs of a Geisha (Kevin OConnell, Greg P. Russell, Rick Kline and JohnPritchett)Walk the Line (Paul Massey, D.M. Hemphill and Peter F. Kurland)War of the Worlds (Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ronald Judkins)

Achievement in Sound Mixing

CongratulationsTO THE SOUND CREW & UNIVERSAL PICTURES!


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Aggie Adrianos - Desperate Housewives Beau Baker- Greys Anatomy BenPatrick - The Office Bill Gocke - 24 Bill MacPherson - Notorious Brad Harper- Living & Dying Brett Grant-Grierson - Charmed Clark King - Boston PublicCraig Woods - The Bernie Mac Show Dan Church - Gilmore Girls DanaMcClure - Joey Darren Knight - My Name is Earl David Kelson - The PoseidonAdventure Dave Parker- Freedom Riders, The Heist David Ronne - Miami ViceDavid Yaffe - Lost Don Zenz - The O.C. Donovan Dear - CSI: Miami EricPearce - Yes, Dear Frank Menges - Alias Geoff Patterson - Deadwood GregAgalsoff- E-Ring James Clark - ER Jeff Wexler- MI:3 John Pritchett - TheBreak Up Joe Foglia - Scrubs Jose Garcia - Babel Ken Segal - Malcom inthe Middle

Nick Allen & crew on Invasion

Chris Silverman with Rob Newell

Charlie Kelly checking out the Deva

Brett Grant-Grierson, Gary andMatt on Charmed

Greg Agalsoff on E-Ring

Ron Cooper on E-Ring

David Obermeyer with Alicia Spargo

James Mace, Donovan Dear, John Coffey andJohn Baurman on CSI: Miami

WHOS O

SOUND PROFESSIONALS:Keep us up to date with yourprojects! Email your info [email protected] forinclusion in our next issue.


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Larry Long - One Tree Hill Mark Gilmartin - Nip/Tuck Mark McNabb - ColdCase Mark Ulano - Big Mommas House 3, Rocky 6 Mark Weingarten - SantaClause 3 Michael Clark - How I Met Your Mother Mick Fowler- CSI NelsonStoll - Rent Nick Allen - Invasion Patrick Hansen - West Wing Paul Ledford- The Good German Paul Lewis - Emilys Reasons Why Not Peter Devlin - TheFast & the Furious 3 Ron Cogswell -Las Vegas Richard Goodman - Just LegalRussel Fager- House Sean Rush - The Unit Steve Bowerman - Navy NCISSteve Grothe - Bones Steve Nelson - The Ghost Whisperer Steve Tibbo - JakeIn Progress Susan Moore-Chong - Medical Investigation Walter Anderson -Commander-In-Chief Walt Hoylman - CSI: New York Whit Norris - Passion ofthe Clerks Willie Burton - Dreamgirls

Bill Gocke with his Deva

Whit Norris on Passion of the Clerks

Don Coufal on MI:3was one of the first toget a demo of the newSchoeps shotgun

Frank Scibella with James Clark on ER

David Kelson, Tim Salmon and John onThe Poseidon Adventure

Mark Gilmartin and crewon Nip/Tuck

John, Eva Longoria & Adrianos Agamemnonon the set of Desperate Housewives

Eric Batut with John at the shop

Alicia, John and Steve Nelson onGhost Whisperer

N WHAT


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AUSTIN STORMS: THE SOUNDSOF PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The beaconing ring from my cell phone was the beginning of anincredible adventure. An expedition to Papa New Guinea making adocumentary film for PBS about two intrepid female photographersretracing the incredible journey made by a female artist namedCaroline Mytinger back in 1926. Of course, being that this was one ofthose "jobs of a lifetime" gigs, I couldn't turn it down.

Caroline Mytinger was a skilled portrait artist, model and ama-teur anthropologist who broke convention by traveling to Papa NewGuinea and the Solomon Islands with almost no money, a tin of paintsand a female companion. For two years Caroline traveled throughoutPNG and the Solomon Islands painting portraits of the last remainingpure race tribes, headhunters, and cannibals. She also wrote twobooks telling of her incredible journey while capturing the images ofthe native people before they were inevitably changed forever by the

western world's religion and way of life.This was great groundwork for the expedition. We had copies

of Caroline's 36 oil paintings and 2 of her books to reference in orderto plot out the expedition. Due to budget reasons we had condensedCaroline's 2 year journey into a mere 7 weeks, traveling to the sameplaces she did in a 72 foot live-aboard dive vessel, looking for descen-dants of the people in her paintings and charting the cultural changeas we went along. The crew consisted of the 2 female photogra-

charting the cultural change as we went along. The crew consisted of the 2 female photographers/expeditionleaders, a historian, an anthropologist, a boat's crew of five, and the documentary film crew, which only consist-ed of the DP and myself.

Sound wise, for this expedition having the best quality and most practical gear for enduring the sultry ho

and salty environment of the boat and island life was critical. My kit consisted of a Sound Devices 442 4 chan-nel mixer, the SD 744T hard disk recorder, Zaxcom ENG wireless (Countryman B6 and EMW lavs), Lectro 411

wireless systems (Sanken, Tram, CountrymanB6 and EMW lavs) and a Zaxcom digital stereocamera link, all compacted nicely into a largePetrol Eargonizer. For the boom I usedSennheiser shotgun mics (MKH60 and 416)Sanken CSS-5 stereo shotgun for SFX gathering and a Schoeps CMC6 MK-41 withthe GVC swivel for the low overhead of theboat. We were shooting on the Panasonic

SDX-900 camera, which I found to be thegreatest documentary camera for soundand picture ever made. I used the Zaxcomstereo system to feed the camera my soundand put a Sanken CS-1 on it for the cameramic. The SDX-900 has four audio channels, which were great for having the camera mic always on channels 3 and 4, and



25/44

my audio feed on channels 1 and 2. As manyof you know, camera guys tend to take off whensomething catches their eye and you're notalways there with your rig powered up. So, agood camera mic like the CS-1 can save somegreat content. Its low profile and sharp direction-ality make it a great camera mic if you need one.

Post requested that the timecode on the

camera be REC-RUN, which until now wouldhave been a problem doing double systemsound, but the 744T has a great TC featurecalled EXT-TC Auto Record which enables youto feed external timecode from a camera inREC-RUN to the 744T and have a perfect 1-4channel, 24 bit timecode back-up. For a wirelesstimecode link between the camera and the 744TI used a Sennheiser G2 wireless system. The


G2 worked well for this application since it can handle a hot TC signal at the TX input without clipping and hasdecent range. It can be powered by 2 AA alkaline batteries for about 10 hours of operation for both the TX andRX, which was great for never having to worry about changing batteries until the day was over. Also, the G2 is

small enough that it didn't add much more weight to the camera or my sound bag, which is crucial when work-ing every day for 7 weeks. So with this setup, when the camera starts rolling timecode, the 744T goes intorecord.

I would name the files (Scene number) corresponding with the videotape number and the takes wouldadd from there like HHVTR##T##. I just had to rename the scene when there was a tape change. I also hadto be aware that sporadic timecode could result if camera is played back or when its turned on. Being able toeasily turn off the wireless TC Receiver helped reduce the multiple short audio file recordings.

Another successful part of my kit was the Zaxcom ENG wireless. After getting around the negative sideof the systems, like only having a limited amount of approved mics that can deal with the Digital RF and thehard-to-solder lemo connecter, the systems performed wonderfully. I wasn't sure how they were going to handle the extreme heat and humidity, so I had my Lectro 411s standing by. I ended up using the Zaxcoms abou85% of the time with no problems and only used the Lectros when I needed to use the waterproof TX. TheZaxcoms RF performance and range was equal to that of the Lectro 411's in my "real world" experience.

While in Kofure village on the Southeast tip of PNG, we were following around Chief Davidson Yari Yarwho was telling us stories while showing us around the village. I had put a Zaxcom Goldline TX with Countryman B6 mic on the chief. The camera had to break to do a tape and battery change, so the chief started to wander off into his banana garden about 150 yards from where we were. Listening in to the Chief, hebegan to sing a beautiful lullaby. I had the pre-roll on the 744T set to five seconds. So, I was able to hit recordand capture it from the beginning. The Zaxcom sounded like it was within earshot, free from any analog artifacts or break-up. The song made a nice addition to the soundtrack, as well as crack up the chief when I playedit back for him. The Chief had never heard his voice played back before! Then with the 744T being file based,I was easily able to copy the daily files to my laptop and compress the selects to be sent out to the website jour-nal via satellite from the middle of the Solomon sea. Technology can sure be cool sometimes eh?

The expedition was a success in all facets of content andtechnical performance. Papa New Guinea is a land filled with beau-tiful people, mystical places and incredibly interesting diverse andin-depth cultures. I strongly suggest it to the adventurer/traveler asa must see, a place that can't truly be described in a short articlelike this one. Looking back at experiences like these make me real-ize that sound mixing for film is one of the world's greatest jobs.

To learn more about the expedition, visit the

website atwww.headhuntrevisited.org


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GEAR REVIEWS: POST PRODUCTION

Otari FS96 // $3499The Otari FS-96 is a highly versatile digital audio format and sample rate converter. The unit

is capable of receiving and simultaneously converting five professional digital audio formatsincluding ADAT, AES/EBU, SDIF-2, TDIF-1 and MADI (option). The unit has 24-channel signal routing that allows the inputs and outputs to be changed freely. The Otari FS-96 can

receive 32khz to 96khz, 16 or 24-bit digital audio source of up to 24 channels and simulta-neously output to the other digital audio formats. It also has the ability to perform a sample

rate conversion within a given format. The Otari FS-96 has a high accuracy clock generatoand can regenerate digital signals from consumer or semi-professional A/V devices to provide a more stable signal. The output signal's can be referenced to the input, internal clock

or an external word clock. The unit also has an optional add-in card slot which will be use-ful for future digital audio formats. The FS-96 is an extremely useful tool to ensure smooth

operations with the wide variety of digital formats in use.

Fostex DV824 // $5995The DV824 is a versatile and cost-effective DVD-RAM recorder. This unit has 8 balancedline-level analog XLR I/O's as well as AES I/O. This enables it to record analog and digitasignals as BWF's as well as playback up to 8-tracks from its internal hard drive or a DVD-RAM. The unit has an optional timecode card that provides an accurate internal clock andthe ability to sync externally. The meters, which are clearly marked and highly visible, are

next to a large, 8-digit LED which displays the current timecode. The DC-powered, 2U rackmounted unit records 8 tracks at 24-bit 48Khz or 4 tracks at 24-bit 96Khz. The DV824's intuitive operation allows you to record exactly how you want. A large LCD screen and large

transport control buttons let you set up and control the recorder in a matter of seconds. Theheadphone monitor allows you to listen to various mixes or to solo any track with the turn of

a knob. If delivering DVD-RAM isn't convenient enough, the DV824 has an ethernet porfor TCP/IP file transfer and an optional firewire card for transfer directly to a computer.Fostex has made a unit that is an excellent choice for both production and post applications

Neyrinck SoundCode // $995SoundCode is a plug-in suite for ProTools HD 6.9 or higher systems that offers mastering

quality Dolby Digital (AC-3) encoding at a remarkable price. The encoder provides fastethan real-time encoding to interleaved WAV files and all AC-3 file types (including AC-3 with

timecode) for use in DVD/CD or other Dolby Digital applications without the requirement fodedicated Dolby hardware. A punch-in feature saves you from lengthy re-encodes by allowing you to re-encode a single line of dialogue rather than a 2-hour feature! The SoundCode

Decoder functions as a real-time RTAS, HDTM plug-in or a non-real-time AudioSuite plug-in. The real-time decoder allows you to confidence-monitor a master when used withProTools video-playback capabilities. Four decoder modes and a wide variety of downmix

options make sure you can preview how your audio will sound to your audience. Extensivemetering for output level, dynamic range compression, dialogue normalization, CRC erro

detection and metadata ensure your encoding reaches professional standards.

Cedar DNS1000 // $995Cedar Audio changed the landscape of noise reduction sound processing when theyreleased the DNS1000. The DNS1000 is a 24 bit I/O DSP that allows you to remove noise

of all kinds from recordings. Imagine dialogue tracks that were unusable because of ambient noise being transformed into clean tracks free of audible processing effects. Inevitablenoise sources like generators, air conditioning, traffic, water noise, etc. are fixable using thefast and intuitive fader interface. Lip-sync is not lost as the latency is a mere 10 samplesthrough SPDIF or AES/EBU. Sometimes it's impossible to get a clean recording in the field

but it's no longer impossible to remove rumble, hiss, whistle, and broadband noise. Low,medium, and high frequency noise of all types can be targeted. This unit earned Cedar a

technical achievement award in February 2005. A fast and intuitive user-interface is the icingon the cake.



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28/44


BOOM & 3RD SHELFWe at Coffey Sound recognize the importance of todays

boom operators and third persons. Their jobs are tougher than everas they face a new set of of audio situations theyve never facedbefore.

On some shows, the boom operators must spend more timewiring actors than being on set and working out the lighting problems.

There is an overall need to wire more these days because of threethings: 1) Shows using wide and tight cameras at the same time. 2)Post mandates to isolate tracks on each actor so they can attempt totry and "save a scene" before looping it. 3) A change in preferenceby producers to hear all dialogue as though it were recorded asclose-up sound without regard to "perspective.

Needless to say, the sound crew now needs all the tools pos-sible to make their new job requirements go smoothly. Hopefully thissection will address some of those needs as Coffey Sound showsyou the latest tools available.

Rode Boom Kit - only $639!Rode NTG2, K-Tek 110CCR, K-Tek suspension &

fuzzy, adapters, PlanetWaves 25 XLR cable

Zaxcom TRX990

The new Zaxcom TRX990promises to be one of the

most groundbreaking toolsever available for location

recording. Eliminate the needfor your pouch, Comtek,transmitter, power supply

cables and the rest of themess with just one clip-on

box. Combined with fully digi-tal, timecode-stamped audio

recording, This thing does itall!

Check out our other boom kits atwww.coffeysound.com

Planet Waves Hush Heels Rip-Tie Wraps

SetWear Boom Stands Rycote Covers



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To route inputs to record tracks using the six most often used presets:-Press and hold the stop button.

-Press the inputbutton to cycle through the presets.-The blue illuminated LED's indicate which input is going to which track.

To do a custom routing setup:-Press and hold down the stop button.

-Press the inputbutton repeatedly until customroute comes up.

-Press the edit softkey.-Use the rotary knob to route the inputs to wherever you want.

Setting up recording parameters:-Press the menubutton to access the main menu.-Use the rotary knob on the right side to scroll through all the different parameters.-To select a parameter you want to adjust, push the rotary knob in.

Transferring the files to a computer via firewire:-It is recommended that the 744T is powered from the AC power supply.

-While the 744T is on, connect it using a firewire cable to your computer.-If you have a Mac, the 744T will mount on your desktop. If you have a PC, it shouldshow up in yourMy Computerwindow.

-The 744T is basically considered a storage device at this point. You can drag anddrop the files to wherever you need to in your computer.-Make sure you dismount the 744T from your computer before you disconnect thefirewire cable.

744T MINI CHEAT SHEET(cut out and put in your wallet)

CHANGING 744T SETTINGS

MENU enters setup menuselects the highlighted item or parameter

and scroll up and down between menu items orparametersX or (STOP) will exit from any parameter or itemand cancel changes.

ALWAYS CHECK THESE MENU NUMBERS

1) Quick Setup - restore default factory settings2) Rec: Sample Rate3) Rec: Bit Depth4) Rec: File Type16) Input 1: 48V Phantom17) Input 2: 48V Phantom43) Timecode: Frame Rate44) Timecode: Mode73) INHDD: Erase (Format Hard Drive)

CHEAT SHEET: SOUND DEVICES 744TTheTechZone


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CHEAT SHEET: ZAXCOM DEVA

If you are using the analog inputs:- Go to the main menu.- Select input control.- You will see your 8 analog inputs represented assquares on the top part of the screen. When you touchone you are taken to a screen that allows you to switchbetween mic and line level, turn on 48v phantom poweron or off, set your low cut filter, set up your delay, andadjust your input trim.

To route inputs on the Deva:- Go to the main menu.- Select disk mix.- You will see the routing matrix. Across the top are num-bers that represent your inputs, and down the right handside you will see numbers that represent disk tracks. Youcan route any input to any disk track.- There are a couple of touch buttons on the bottom ofthe screen that will allow you to toggle between analogand digital inputs, pre and post fader, and reversingphase.- Touch the square on the matrix that you want to route

to. Choose analog or digital, pre or post.

To change basic Deva settings:- From the main menu, go to deva setup. This is where you can togglebetween sample rates, change your metering scheme, change the amountof record tracks, restore the factory defaults, and set your pre-record time.

To change folders:- Go to the main menu.- Select my deva.- Select int hdd.- The current folder you are in will be highlighted in

white. To go to another folder, simply touch the folder youwish to go to, and it will change.

To monitor on the Deva:- Go to the main menu.- Select headphones.- Select which track goes to which side on your head-

phones.

To set up timecode:- From the main menu, go to timecode.- Here you can toggle between frame rates, timecoderun modes, and jamming.- If you have timecode plugged into the deva, you will

see it in the "reader timecode" section of the screen.- If you press jam tc, the Deva will jam its clock to theincoming timecode.- If you want to jam the Deva to the time of day, you canpressjam TOD, and the Deva will jam to its internal clock.

To mirror a DVD-RAM disk with the Deva's internal

DVD-RAM drive:

- Go to the main menu.- Select my deva.- Make sure the mirror drive select is set to int dvd.- Select mirror drive 1.

- Here you can select your bit depth, file type, whichtracks to mirror, and how to format the DVD-RAM.- EVERY DVD-RAM DISK MUST BE FORMATTEDBEFORE IT IS MIRRORING!

- Once the DVD-RAM is formatted, and you have all yoursettings set to where you need them, you can turn mirrormode on.

DEVA IV & V MINI CHEAT SHEET(cut out and put in your wallet)

Select Partition To Record In:o [Menu] [My Deva] [Internal HD Drive]

[Current Folder]o Select the folder to use In left columnSetup Routing Matrix:

o [Menu] [Disk Mix]o Inputs = columns, Tracks = rowso Pre-Fader = White, Post-Fader = Blacko Analog = A, Digital = DSetup Recording Parameters:

o [Menu] [Deva Setup]

Setup Mic/Line Level/Trim Controls:o [Menu] [Input Control]o [Adjust Trim]Setup Mirror Mode:

o Put 4.7 GB DVD-RAM Disc In Driveo [Menu] [My Deva] [Mirror Drive #1] o [Format Drive] - Select UDF or FAT32o Start Seg = 1, End Seg = 999o Mirror Mode - ONSetup Time Code:

o Press F4 or [Menu] [Time Code]

TheTechZone


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AUDIO GLOSSARY - FROM A TO D5.1 - Multichannel sound technology that produces five channels of sound in the left, right, center, left surroundand right surround positions. 5.1 systems also have 1 channel for LFE (low frequency effects) which is usuallysent to a subwoofer. 6.1 and 7.1 systems add further channels to rear positions.

AAC -Advanced Audio Coding. An audio codec that has better audio quality and compression when comparedwith MP3.

AC'97 -Audio Codec. An Intel audio component that is integrated into Intel chipsets.

ADC - Analog to digital converter. Converts an audio signal into digital data.

ADR - Automated dialogue replacement. The process of recording the voice of actors to match a picture whenproduction sound is unavailable, inappropriate or unuseable. See also "looping."

AGC - Automatic gain control. Internal circuitry which adjusts the gain level of the incoming audio signal in aneffort to maximize the signal in an audio path. This is often found on the audio subsystem of video cameras.

AIFF -Audio Interchange File Format. A common format for storing and transmitting sampled sound. Developedby Apple Computer and is the standard audio format for Macintosh computers.

A-Law - The ITU standard for analog to digital audio data conversion using PCM coding and companding. TheA-Law technique is used throughout Europe and has a more constant signal-to-quantizing noise ratio than itsNorth American counterpart, u-Law.

Aliasing - A static distortion resulting from a low sampling rate-below 40 kilohertz (Khz).

Ambience - The type or amount of noise in an area or environment.

Amplifier- A device that strengthens or intensifies an electronic signal.

ASF -Advanced Streaming Format. A streaming multimedia file format developed by Microsoft.

ATRAC -Acoustic Transform Adaptive Coding. Developed by Sony as a method of compressing all the data ona standard CD to a 64mm MiniDisc with almost no loss in audio quality.

AU -A common format for sound files on UNIX machines. It is also the standard audio file format for the Javaprogramming language.

Audio Interface - An audio device with audio inputs and outputs that connects to a computer via a data cable(USB/Firewire).

Audio Scrubbing - The process of moving within an audio file or tape to locate a particular section. The termoriginally comes from the days of reel-to-reel players, when rocking a reel would give the impression of scrub-bing tape across the head.

Band - The distance between the highs and lows on a frequency.

Bit Depth - The number of binary bits (0's and 1's) in a single digital "word." A higher bit depth allows for representation of a greater number of discrete amplitudes resulting in a greater dynamic range.

BNC - A type of cable connector with a locking mechanism. Commonly used to send digital audio signals, wordclock reference and video signals.

The Coffey Audio Files | Vol.18 Issue 1 | 2006 | Page 31TheTechZone


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Cardioid - A mathematical term used to describe the pickup pattern of certain directional microphone. A cardioid pickup pattern rejects sound emanating from behind the microphone capsule.

Channel - A discrete signal path. In a recording situation a channel carries audio information from an input to arecording track. In playback, a channel can carry signal from a recorded track to a monitor.

Condenser- The microphone style of choice for high-quality audio recording applications. Sound pressuremoves the diaphragm of the microphone causing voltage changes that form an electric signal analogous to theoriginal sound.

DAC - Digital to analog converter. Converts digital audio to an analog signal.

DAE - Digital Audio Extraction. The process of taking audio tracks from an audio CD and moving them to a harddisk drive or other recordable media.

DAT - Digital audio tape. A two-track + timecode magnetic tape capable of storing 16-bit digital audio.

DAW - Digital audio workstation. Either a standalone hardware device or a computer-based audio/music pro-duction environment utilizing both digital audio and MIDI.

Decibel - 1. A unit of of measurement of voltage or other type of intensity (dB). Decibels are one tenth of a bel2. Abbreviation for DeciBels Adjusted, dBA is the noise power calculated in dB. 0 dBA is equal to 3.16 picowatts (-85 dBm).

Digitize - To translate analog audio into digital form by sampling a sound waves amplitude many times per second. These numeric values can then be recorded digitally.

Disc-at-Once - A mode in which a CD or DVD is burned without turning off the laser between tracks. Necessaryfor mastering.

Disc Image - A single file containing all of the data necessary to record a CD or DVD. Common disc image fileformats include *.iso, *.nrg, *.cdi, *.bin/cue, *.ccd, *.mds, *.dmg.

Discrete -An individual channel, isolated from other tracks in a multitrack recording or mix session.

Dolby AC-1, AC-2, and AC-3 - The original digital coding technology introduced in 1987 with the beginningdevelopment of what later would become HDTV. Dolby AC-2 was introduced in 1989 and included better audioquality and reduced bit-rate. Dolby AC-3 was introduced in 1991 and includes 5.1 channels and operates at 320kbps.

Dolby Digital - A standard for high-quality digital audio that is used for the sound portion of video stored in dig-ital format, especially videos stored on DVD-ROMs. Delivers in 5.1 surround sound.

Drop-out - A momentary loss of audio signal typically due to RF interference disrupting a wireless system. See"hit."

DSP - Digital signal processor. A unit that alters digital audio using mathematical manipulations in order to applyfor example, effects. This processing can be done by a computer processor or a dedicated DSP chip.


AUDIO GLOSSARY - FROM A TO DTheTechZone

To be continued in the next 3 issues...


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Few people have as much enthusiasm for audio tech-nology as Jeff Wexler. Mixing for over 30 years, Jeffs

talent and thirst for knowledge of sound gear keeps

him in a very desirable position with feature film pro-ductions. Currently on the set ofMission: Impossible

3, Jeff took time during his busy schedule to sit downwith us and describe his workflow for this project.

Sound mixers: when Jeff speaks, everyone listens.

I am working on "Mission: Impossible 3", the thirdinstallment in the series. I did not work on either of thefirst two, but having done several movies with TomCruise and with the Cruise/Wagner production team, Iwas asked to do Number Three once they got thegreenlight for the production with J.J. Abrams direct-ing.

I have not done that many action movies in mycareer, preferring to do dialog driven dramas or com-edy, so I knew I was going into a project that wouldpose certain challenges. I was certainly right aboutthat and actually somewhat overwhelmed by theimmensely complicated shooting schedule. There wasan "Action Unit" shooting ahead of us and often withus on the larger scale scenes, a "Splinter Unit" or sec-ond unit split off from our first unit, and it has beenquite a daunting task to try and insure some continu-ity with the soundtrack. We have had to hire severalother sound teams to handle all the additional units.Ed White has done most of the Action Unit shooting,often shooting entirely different locations than us. MoeChamberlain, an old friend who started work for us atNorthstar Media over 10 years ago, did many days ofwork with the Splinter unit. It was terrific having Moeon the job because he has a very similar way of work-ing, has a new Deva and was able to deliver thedailies fitting in perfectly with our established work-flow.

Many of the scenes we have done have been

sparse in the dialog, but because of all the action most

have been shot with a minimum of four cameras,necessitating more extensive use of wireless micro-phones than most movies we have done. This is noth-ing new to the veterans of all the TV shows that seemto have settled into a routine requiring lots of wirelesswork. I have really come to appreciate the ease withwhich I can now do multi-track recording when thereare many elements involved. I still strive for a credible

mix to Track 1, putting into that mix whatever sources

I need while still preserving those sources pre-fadeon their own isolated discreet tracks. More often thannot, even on many of the complex-action multiplecamera scenes, Track 1 is really just Don Coufal'swonderful boom work which is almost always reallygood for "A" camera shots. I may use some of thewireless on the actors in this mix but usually they juslive on their own tracks to be utilized later by soundeditorial as needed.

Although "Mission Impossible 3" is quite a departure for us, we still approach most scenes with thesame philosophy: keep things as simple as possibleprotect the editorial process, solve the problems the"old" way (since complex technical solutions usuallydo NOT really address the fundamental issues), andstrive for the best possible sound in all situations.

We use Schoeps microphones almost exclusivelyinterior and exterior, and also the Sanken CS3e if wereally feel we need a "longer" microphone. We alsohave used the Octava microphone, a low cost, surprisingly good-sounding Schoeps alternative, for scenesinvolving gunfire and explosions. We use a combination of my old Audio Ltd. wireless with Sanken lavalie

mics and also the Zaxcom Digital wireless withSankens. We tend to favor use of the Audio Ltd., primarily because of the ease with which we can employSchoeps plant mics, which we do a lot. The ZaxcomGoldline transmitters I have use a 3 volt power systemand it is cumbersome to have to use an outboardphantom power supply.

(continued on page 40


JEFF WEXLER - ON A SOUND MISSION


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THE DUB STAGE

I recently found a very special dub stage near the inter-section of Hollywood Way and Magnolia Blvd in BurbankCalifornia. It's actually called "The Dub Stage" and it islocated at 3610 W. Magnolia Blvd. The Dub Stage is a

"State of the Art" post sound facility owned by veteranHollywood re-recording mixer Marti D. Humphrey, C.A.S..Marti, who began his mixing career 27 years ago, mixesfeature film, television and DVD projects in his largestage.

The room has an ample 28' x 12' screen. Martican project either Hi-Def video or 35MM film onto thescreen. Behind the screen are 3 large THX-certified JBLtheatrical speakers and a dual 18" subwoofer. Along theside walls are 8 JBL surround speakers.

Marti mixes all his projects in 5.1 surround. Theheart of his system is two Digidesign HD Accel systems.

Each system is capable of 192 tracks for a combined totalof 384 tracks. This is usually more than enough, but Martisays on his recent #1 box office feature, The Exorcism ofEmily Rose, he had 185 tracks of sound effects, foley andsound design playing on the effects ProTools system with85 tracks of dialog, group, ADR and Christopher Young'smusic score playing back. Academy-nominated soundsupervisor Paul Ottisson (Spiderman 2) oversaw the mix.Paul and Marti also worked together on the # 1 feature hitThe Grudge.

Marti finds "the flexibility of mixing in the box withProTools allows for quick changes to satisfy the client's

needs to try different approaches during a mix." Havinghis mix remain totally virtual until print mastering givesthe facility the ability to make changes along with the pic-ture editor if needed. Also, access to a large sound

effects library on the stage makes additional effectschanges seamless to the client. The stage has a gigabiethernet network and both wireless and wired Interneavailable for the clients to use.

Many of The Dub Stage clients like to sit in thelarge leather recliners in the back of the room and surthe internet while Marti and his fellow re-recording mixerChris Jacobson C.A.S. mix away at their Pro ToolsControl 24 surfaces. The video is played back fromanother Apple computer with "Virtual VTR" for non-lineavideo playback. For television this season, Humphreyand Jacobson are mixing the Chris Rock / Paramount TV

show Everybody Hates Chris. The show received twoMPSE (Motion Picture Sound Editors) nominations foboth Music Editing and Dialog/ADR Editing, withHumphrey being nominated for Dialog Editing along withthe show's sound supervisor, Wilson Dyer MPSEHumphrey is also a two-time Primetime Emmy Awwardwinner.

The stage has been very busy with variousdiverse projects. Humphrey states, "I like the variety towork on features, TV and DVD releases". Marti is veryaccommodating to everyone who wants to just talk aboutheir projects.

by Thomas Popp

To find out more about "The Dub Stage" go to www.thedubstage.com


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STEVE TIBBO - SPLIT SCREEN AUDIOJake in Progress employs a unique mixture of spliscreens. The show features Jake, a slick New York Citypublicist, played by John Stamos, who is constantly on thephone speaking with his boss, friends, foes, and thenumerous women in his life. Most of these phone conver

sations are shown in split screen and sometimes up to aquad split, with all characters playing off of one anotherSince "Jake" is a single camera comedy, we shoot most othe split screens at different times. The timing is veryimportant so that the actors look as if they are talking andreacting to one another in real time.

When I started Jake in Progress, the show'sproducer, Jeff Morton, asked me if there was a way torecord an actor off camera for the first take and thenplay that off cam pre-recorded dialogue for timing pur-poses on consecutive takes via an earwig with virtual-ly no downtime. He also requested that if there wereany issues on the first side shot, he wanted the flexi-bility to adjust the timing and to be able to edit theseproblems. When we shot the other side of the splitscreen, I needed to be able to playback the otheractors' tracks from a master that the director chose onthat day. I decided that the best way to have the flex-ibility to make changes and playback the off screendialogue would be to use a non-linear editing program,

i.e., Pro Tools, Logic, or Nuendo on a laptop. Afterresearching the topic, I chose an Apple G4 15" laptoprunning Steinberg Nuendo with an M-Audio 1814 buspowered interface. I selected Nuendo becauseNuendo is open-ended and the program allowed methe option

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The Coffey Audio Files - Spring 2006

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